Contamination and Impact

Mines

The State of Palestine is contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). The precise scope, scale, and impact of the contamination are not known but hazards encompass minefields, military training zones, and areas of confrontation where many explosive devices are left behind.

A 2013 survey by the Palestine Mine Action Center (PMAC) found that Palestine has mined areas covering a total of 19.9km², only marginally less than its previous estimate (20.4km²).[1] A HALO Trust survey of the West Bank in 2012 identified 90minefields, including 13 laid by the Jordanian military in 1948–1967, and 77 minefields laid by the Israeli military along the Jordan River following the 1967 war.[2]

Most minefields are located in “Area C” along the border with Jordan, which covers approximately 60% of the West Bank and is under full Israeli control regarding security, planning, and construction. There are believed to be 14 minefields in other parts of the West Bank and two others in the “no man’s land” between Israel and the West Bank.[3]

Many minefields and hazardous areas are located in fertile agricultural and grazing land and, in some cases, inside or in the vicinity of villages, obstructing socio-economic development and posing a threat of injury to farmers, shepherds, Bedouins, and particularly children. Marking and fencing of minefields are often poor, with some operational minefields not marked at all.[4]

Explosive remnants of war

The precise nature and extent of ERW contamination is not known. The Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) is not believed to be affected by cluster munition remnants.

Gaza had extensive ERW contamination resulting from Israel’s operations “Cast Lead” in 2008−2009 and “Pillar of Protection” in November 2012. Clearance operations conducted in 2010 by the UN Mine Action Team in Gaza (UNMAT-GO) partnered with Mines Advisory Group found mainly mortars, rockets, bombs, and M-15 antivehicle mines used to demolish buildings but also some white phosphorous ordnance.[5] The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) reported explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) Police destroyed 8.8 tons of ordnance in 2013 and by the end of the year had removed all unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Gaza City to a location outside it.[6]

However, additional heavy contamination will have resulted “Protective Edge” launched on 21 July 2014 and still continuing as this report was prepared, involving longer, more intense bombardment than the previous two operations. By late August, before hostilities had concluded, the UN estimated the operation had inflicted three times as much destruction to buildings as “Cast Lead”[7] and four members of the EOD Police had died attempting to disarm an unexploded bomb that also killed two other people.[8]

Mine Action Program

An authorization issued by the Palestinian Authority’s prime minister on 25 March 2012 set up PMAC, appointed its director, and also set up a Higher Committee for Mine Action as an interministerial body with 27 members representing the ministries of health, justice, education, foreign affairs, interior, military liaison, red crescent, intelligence, and police which is to develop mine action legislation and allocate resources for the sector.[9]

PMAC, which is located in the Ministry of Interior in Ramallah, is mandated to coordinate all aspects of mine action in the West Bank. It receives technical advice from UNMAS.[10] The committee has also established a number of subcommittees internally to deal with risk education, technical issues, legal affairs, foreign affairs, and health and safety.[11]

PMAC is staffed with personnel from the Palestinian National Security Forces, Palestinian Civil Police, and Civil Defense. PMAC has 30 personnel on its team trained by UNMAS for demining but not yet equipped to do so. The Palestinian Civil Police have an EOD unit with 42 personnel in Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkaram, and Qalqillyah, which conduct rapid response to locate and remove UXO.[12]

Mine action is subject to the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, under which the West Bank is divided into three areas: Area A is under full Palestinian civilian and security control; Area B is under full Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control; and Area C (approximately 60% of the West Bank) where Israel has full control of security, planning, and construction.[13]

Land Release

Israel has not authorized demining operations by Palestinian deminers and no clearance operations were conducted by or on behalf of PMAC in 2013.[14]

Israeli commercial operator Quadro Projects and Technologies, contracted by California-based Roots of Peace and approved by the Israeli National Mine Action Authority (INMAA), cleared 7,000m² of mined area at the village of Husan in May 2013, destroying in the process six antipersonnel mines.[15]

HALO, working with the approval of PMAC and INMAA and employing 16 Georgian deminers and four mechanical assets, started demining a 67,000m² site at a-Nabi Elyas village in April 2014.[16]

Support for Mine Action

PMAC did not disclose details of its funding. It reported that HALO had received funding from the United States (US$1.41 million for September 2011 to June 2014), the Netherlands ($0.97 million for July 2012 to June 2016), New Zealand ($2.46 million for January 2014 to December 2015), and the United Kingdom ($0.39 million for February 2014 to January 2015).[17]